What's new on Canadian streaming & TV in December 2021?

Welcome to the November 29, 2021 edition (#47) of This Week in WCIW, the weekly newsletter from Where Can I Watch – covering the latest news on where TV shows and movies will be available in Canada.

It's time for our monthly summary of notable new programming coming to streaming services and TV channels in Canada for December 2021. This is not intended as a complete list, but where practical we will provide links to fuller information. While we do mention a few reality and documentary shows and the like (particularly for channels without much else), our main focus is mainly on notable scripted programming.

Prices are listed by WCIW for convenience, and are subject to change by the providers. Listed prices do not include any applicable sales taxes, which vary by province.

The web version of this post may be updated occasionally during the month, though we cannot commit to updating everything that might be added or changed.

Netflix

Netflix costs between $9.99 and $18.99 per month in Canada, depending on the number of streams and picture quality you need.

Netflix Canada posts its monthly listings on social media, and sends additional details to media outlets on its mailing list. Since we aren't on that list at present, we've cross-referenced against other posts as well as other sources.

Because of the sheer amount of content Netflix releases each month, we've decided to be considerably more judicious with the number of items listed compared to other services, so we encourage you to consult the full lists if there's a program you're waiting on.

New programs are normally released at 3:00 a.m. ET (midnight PT) on the date indicated, unless otherwise noted.

Notable original series

• Lost in Space (season 3) – Wednesday, December 1
• Money Heist [La casa de papel] (part 5, volume 2 – final five episodes) – Friday, December 3
• The Witcher (season 2) – Friday, December 17
• Emily in Paris (season 2) – Wednesday, December 22
• Cobra Kai (season 4) – Friday, December 31
• Queer Eye (season 6) – Friday, December 31

Notable exclusive-distribution "original" series

• Titans (season 3) – Wednesday, December 8
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly: The Flash (Thursdays through Dec. 16)

Notable original (or exclusive-distribution "original") films

• The Power of the Dog (western starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst) – Wednesday, December 1
• The Unforgivable (drama starring Sandra Bullock) – Friday, December 10
• Don't Look Up (sci-fi dark comedy starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, written and directed by Adam McKay) – Friday, December 24
• The Lost Daughter (psychological drama starring Olivia Colman, written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal) – Friday, December 31

Other notable licensed programming

• Jumanji: The Next Level (previously on Prime Video) – Thursday, December 2
• Fast & Furious films 1-7 (previously on Crave) – Friday, December 3

Disney+

Disney+ currently costs $11.99 per month, or $119.99 per year, in Canada. Star, its mature programming hub, is included at no extra charge in the Canadian service.

Disney+ sends its Canadian monthly listings to media outlets on its mailing list. Despite our efforts, we are not yet getting these monthly listings, so we have to rely in part on outside posts. New programs are normally released at 3:00 a.m. ET (midnight PT) on the date indicated, unless otherwise noted.

Notable premiere or new-release films and specials

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (animated film based on the book series by Jeff Kinney, rebooting the 2010–17 live-action series) – Friday, December 3
• The Rescue (2021 National Geographic documentary about the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue) – Friday, December 3
• Ron's Gone Wrong (2021 20th Century Studios animated film starring the voices of Zach Galifianakis and Jack Dylan Grazer) – Wednesday, December 13 (less than eight weeks after theatrical release)
• Encanto (2021 Walt Disney Animated Studios film starring the voices of Stephanie Beatriz and John Leguizamo, with songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda) – Friday, December 24 (thirty days after theatrical release)

Notable Disney+ original series

• Welcome to Earth (National Geographic exploration limited series hosted by Will Smith) – full series available Wednesday, December 8
• Foodtastic (reality competition series involving Disney-themed food sculptures hosted by Keke Palmer) – full first season available Wednesday, December 15
• The Book of Boba Fett (Star Wars series spun off from The Mandalorian, starring Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen) – Wednesdays starting December 29
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly (Wednesdays): Hawkeye (through Dec. 22)

Notable Star original series

• Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (season 2) – Wednesday, December 8
• The Premise (B.J. Novak-created anthology series released in the U.S. via FX on Hulu this past fall) – Wednesday, December 22
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly (Wednesdays): Dopesick (through Dec. 22); Bob's Burgers (Dec. 1, 8, 15, 29); The Great North (Dec. 1, 8, 29); Family Guy (Dec. 8, 15, 22, 29); The Simpsons (Dec. 15, 22, 29) [Fox-originated animated shows are added 10–31 days after their U.S. broadcasts]

Notable library programming

• American Dad (season 17) – Wednesday, December 1
• Spies in Disguise (2019 Blue Sky animated film, previously on Crave) – Friday, December 3
• Modern Family (all eleven seasons of the 2009–20 sitcom) – Wednesday, December 8

Crave

Bell Media's Crave (which merged its Movies + HBO programming into its main library in October 2021) regularly costs between $9.99 and $19.99 per month in Canada, depending on the number of streams, device support, and picture quality you need.

Crave's full list of arrivals is posted on Bell Media's press site. New programs are normally released at midnight ET on the date indicated (equivalent to 9:00 p.m. PT on the previous date), though some (including HBO Max programs) may be released at 3:00 a.m. ET, others (including mainline HBO programs) are released simultaneously with their linear premieres at the indicated times. For some Showtime programs, linear airtimes are listed for convenience but they may become available to stream earlier on the indicated date. Starz is dealt with in a separate section below.

Crave / Bell Media original programming

• Roast Battle Canada (season 1, previously aired on CTV Comedy) – Friday, December 3
• 1 Queen 5 Queers (discussions moderated by Brooke Lynn Hytes with panels representing "a variety of sexualities and identities") – two episodes weekly on Thursdays from December 9 to 30
• Who Killed Marie-Josée (English dub[?] of a three-part French-language docuseries already available on Crave about the death of supermodel Marie-Josée Saint-Antoine) – Thursday, December 16
• Par-Lay: The Fred VanVleet Story (Uninterrupted Canada documentary about the Toronto Raptors player) – Thursday, December 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET
• Hello, This is My Penis [Âllo, voici mon pénis] (investigative documentary by Kim Lévesque-Lizotte about erotic texts) – Wednesday, December 22
• Letterkenny (season 10) – Saturday, December 25
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly: Canada's Drag Race (Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET through Dec. 16)

HBO original programming

• Adrienne (documentary about actor and filmmaker Adrienne Shelly) – Wednesday, December 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET)
• Music Box (music documentaries, Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET): Listening to Kenny G (Dec. 2); Mr. Saturday Night (about Robert Stigwood – Dec. 9); Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss (Dec. 16)
• Drew Michael: Red Blue Green (stand-up comedy special) – Saturday, December 4 at 10:00 p.m. ET
• Landscapers (Sky / HBO comedy-drama miniseries starring Olivia Colman and David Thewlis) – Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET from December 6 to 27
• The Forever Prisoner (Alex Gibney documentary about Guantánamo Bay detainee Abu Zubaydah) – Monday, December 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET
• The Slow Hustle (documentary about the unsolved death of Baltimore police detective Sean Suiter) – Tuesday, December 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET
• The Murders at Starved Rock (three-part docuseries about the 1960 park murders) – Tuesday, December 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET (two episodes), and Wednesday, December 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• Reopening Night (documentary, possibly the one about Broadway's 2021 reopening previously announced as Broadway Rising [turns out this one's about the Public Theater in New York]) – Monday, December 20 at 10:00 p.m. ET
• Insecure: The End (limited information available; possibly a retrospective special about the series) – Monday, December 27 at 10:00 p.m. ET per linear schedule
• The Super Bob Einstein Show (limited information available; described by a Roku blog post as a "loving tribute to the late comedian") – Tuesday, December 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET per linear schedule
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly: How To with John Wilson (Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET through Dec. 31); Succession (Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET through Dec. 12); Insecure (Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET through Dec. 26); Curb Your Enthusiasm (Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET through Dec. 26)
• Weekly topical programming (new episodes air "live" on the HBO linear channel and are posted on-demand the next day): Axios (final edition of 2021 airs Sunday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET) [Real Time and Last Week Tonight return in early 2022]

HBO Max original programming

• Santa Inc. (adult animated series starring Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen, via Lionsgate) – full first season available Thursday, December 2
• And Just Like That... (sequel series to the 1998–2004 series Sex and the City and its follow-up movies, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon) – episodes available Thursdays starting December 9
• Finding Magic Mike (reality competition series inspired by the 2012 film Magic Mike) – full first season (six episodes) available Thursday, December 16
• Station Eleven (post-apocalypic drama limited series starring Mackenzie Davis and Himesh Patel, via Paramount TV / ViacomCBS) – episodes available Thursdays starting December 16
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly: Gossip Girl (final three episodes of season 1 released Thu., Dec. 2); The Sex Lives of College Girls (new episodes weekly on Thursdays through Dec. 9); Kamikaze (final two episodes released Sun. Dec. 5)

Showtime original programming

• You're Watching Video Music Box (documentary about the long-running hip hop music video show) – Friday, December 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• Dirty Tricks (documentary about competitive bridge) – Wednesday, December 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• Ricky Powell: The Individualist (documentary about the New York photographer) – Friday, December 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• The Real Charlie Chaplin (documentary about the silent film era actor) – Saturday, December 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• Rolling Like Thunder (documentary about freight train graffiti culture) – Friday, December 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly: Desus & Mero (Thursdays and Sundays at 11:00 p.m. ET through Dec. 16); Wakefield (final episode available Friday, Dec. 3); Vice (Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET); Dexter: New Blood (Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET); Yellowjackets (Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET);

New / recent release movies

• The Violent Heart (2020 drama starring Jovan Adept, Grace Van Patten, and Mary J. Blige, via Gravitas Ventures) – Friday, December 3
• The Virtuoso (2021 crime thriller starring Anson Mount and Anthony Hopkins, via Lionsgate; already available on Starz) – Friday, December 3
• Wander Darkly (2020 drama starring Sienna Miller and Diego Luna, via Lionsgate; already available on Starz) – Friday, December 3
• A Clüsterfünke Christmas (2021 Comedy Central film starring Vella Lovell and Cheyenne Jackson, written by and co-starring Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer) – Friday, December 10 [also airing on CTV Comedy on Sunday, December 5 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT]
• Shoplifters of the World (2021 comedy-drama film starring Helena Howard and Ellar Coltrane, via Photon) – Friday, December 10
• Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021 sequel to the 1996 live-action/animated film Space Jam, starring LeBron James and Don Cheadle, and the voices of Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, and Zendaya, via Warner Bros.) – Friday, December 10
• Hot Mess Holiday (2021 Comedy Central Diwali-themed film starring Surina Jindal, Melanie Chandra, Kal Penn, Tituss Burgess)  – Friday, December 17 [also airing on CTV Comedy on Sunday, December 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT]
• Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021 horror Western starring Nicolas Cage and Sofia Boutella, via Mongrel) – Friday, December 17
• The Truffle Hunters (2020 documentary about those searching for the Alba truffle, via Mongrel / Sony Pictures Classics) – Friday, December 17
• The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 (documentary about the search for the "52-hertz whale", written and directed by Joshua Zeman, via Elevation / Bleecker Street) – Monday, December 20
• Siberia (2020 drama starring Willem Dafoe, via Lionsgate; already available on Starz) – Tuesday, December 21
• The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021 DreamWorks Animation sequel starring the voice of Alec Baldwin) – Wednesday, December 22
• Spirit Untamed (2021 DreamWorks computer-animated spin-off / reboot of the 2002 film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, via Universal) – Friday, December 24
• The Suicide Squad (2021 sequel to the 2016 DC Comics superhero film Suicide Squad, starring Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, and John Cena, via Warner Bros.) – Friday, December 24
• Together Together (2021 comedy written and directed by Nikole Beckwith, starring Ed Helms and Patti Harrison, via LevelFilm) – Friday, December 24

Notable library movies

• A Christmas Carol (1951 with Alistair Sim, a.k.a. Scrooge) – Wednesday, December 1
• Various DC direct-to-video animated movies, including Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (both parts) – Friday, December 3
• Various other Christmas / holiday films – added on Fridays through December 17
• Wonder Woman (2009) – Friday, December 3
• Sex and the City (2008 film) – Thursday, December 9
• The Matrix (the original 1999 film only) – Friday, December 17
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – Friday, December 24

Other notable licensed programming

• MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (related to but not the same as the recent CBS special) – Friday, December 17
• Day of the Dead (season 1, previously aired on CTV Sci-Fi) – Friday, December 24
• Tha God's Honest Truth (season 1, previously aired on CTV Comedy) – Friday, December 24
• Tacoma FD (season 3, previously aired on CTV Comedy) – Friday, December 31
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly: The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek (Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. ET); Star Trek: Discovery (Fridays at 9:00 p.m. ET); Doctor Who (season finale Sun., Dec. 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET); Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses (Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET through Dec. 19); The Freak Brothers (Sundays through Dec. 19?)

Notable departing programming not moving elsewhere shortly

• Blue Bloods (all of the ten seasons that are currently available) – December 31 [could be moving to Paramount+, where at least part of season 9 is already available, but nothing to that effect has been announced]
• Most Vice Media programming including Dark Side of Football; Fuck, That's Delicious; and Gaycation (but not Dark Side of the Ring) – December 31

Starz

In Canada, Starz costs $5.99 per month as an add-on to Crave (also available there for $59.99 per year), and on Apple TV Channels and Prime Video Channels.

Starz Canada arrivals are including in the Crave listings, but we list them separately here due to the multiple subscription options. Airtimes listed for Starz original programs are for linear premieres, but most become available to stream earlier on the indicated date.

Starz original or exclusive series

• Vigil (Scotland-set police procedural limited series starring Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie, debuted on BBC One in the UK this past summer, produced by World Productions so presumably distributed by ITV Studios?) – two episodes weekly on Sundays from December 5 to 19
• Ongoing, new episodes weekly: Power Book Ⅱ: Ghost (Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET through Dec. 19); Hightown (Sundays at 9:00 p.m.)

Notable departing programming not moving elsewhere shortly

• Counterpart (season 2; season 1 has already been quietly removed) – December 7

Prime Video

Amazon's streaming service, Prime Video, is only available in Canada as part of an Amazon Prime membership, which is $7.99 per month or $79.00 per year, with a one-month trial available in most areas for first-time subscribers.

Prime Video's full monthly listings for Canada are emailed directly to us, among other media outlets.

Original (or exclusive Canadian distribution) programming

• Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight (documentary about the former Renault-Nissan CEO's escape from Japan) – Thursday, December 2
• Harlem (comedy series about four "stylish and ambitious best girlfriends" in Harlem) – Friday, December 3
• Alex Rider (season 2) – Friday, December 3
• Day Zero (documentary about threats to the world's freshwater supply) – Thursday, December 9
• The Expanse (season 6) – Friday, December 10
• Encounter (thriller film starring Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer) – Friday, December 10
• The Grand Tour (season 4) – Friday, December 17
• Being the Ricardos (film dramatization of the relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem) – Tuesday, December 21
• Curse of the Chippendales (four-part docuseries about the vices that surrounded the Chippendales troupe and strip clubs; released in the U.S. by Discovery+ earlier this year) – Friday, December 24

New-release films

• Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021 family film starring Rose Byrne and the voice of James Corden, via Sony) – Thursday, December 9
• Queenpins (2021 comedy starring Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Vince Vaughn, via Elevation / STX) – Friday, December 31

Notable licensed programming

• Clarice (season 1, previously aired on Global) – Friday, December 17

CBC Gem

CBC Gem is free to watch, but an ad-free Premium subscription, which adds access to CBC News Network and early access to certain programs, is available for $4.99 per month.

CBC Gem's monthly listings are posted in full on the CBC's media website. Other than programs marked as "original" or "premiere", programs may have aired previously in Canada on other services. Again, some programs may be initially available only on the Premium tier, but are made available on the free tier at a later date.

Updated with CBC Gem listings on November 30.

Additional holiday programming will air on CBC Television (which is available to live-stream on CBC Gem); not all will necessarily be available on demand. (For example, the 2019 film Knives Out will air on December 26, and Canada's New Year Eve with Rick Mercer on December 31.

Notable Canadian programming

• Nose to Tail (2020 Canadian drama film starring Aaron Abrams) – Friday, December 3
• Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story (short documentary about the Raptors superfan) – Friday, December 3
• Big Blue (animated kids series created by Ghanaian-Canadian artist Gyimah Gariba) – Saturday, December 4

Notable premiere international programmg

• Chateau DIY (season 4) – Friday, December 3
• A Cape Code Christmas (made-for-TV movie, available on AMC+ in the U.S.) – Friday, December 3
• Escape to the Chateau (season 6) – Friday, December 10
• The Chef (Israeli drama series) – Friday, December 10
• Almost Never (season 3) – Wednesday, December 31

Other notable international programming

• The Office (UK) Holiday specials (2003) – Friday, December 3
• Various holiday specials, including Call the Midwife specials (S5-9) and The Great New Year's Baking Show (2020) – Friday, December 3, 10 and 17

Notable new programming on other channels and services

• Apple TV+: Mariah's Christmas: The Magic Continues (Fri. Dec. 3); Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne (Fri. Dec. 10); Swan Song (film starring Mahershala Ali and Glenn Close – Fri. Dec. 17)
• AMC+ (available as a channel on Prime Video and Apple TV; some programming may be available later on the AMC channel): Firebite (Thursdays starting Dec. 16)
• BritBox (also available as a channel on Prime Video and Apple TV): The Tower (Wed. Dec. 1); Crime (Tue. Dec. 14); A Ghost Story for Christmas (Mon. Dec. 20); Bedlam (Mon. Dec. 20); The Small Hand: A Ghost Story [and several other specials along those lines] (Mon. Dec. 20); QI Christmas special (Mon. Dec. 20); Mock the Week year-end special (Thu. Dec. 23); Miranda [the UK sitcom Call Me Kat is based on] (Sun. Dec. 26)
• Discovery+: Various Christmas / holiday specials including new episodes of Magnolia Table and Family Dinner [not all programming listed will necessarily be available in Canada]
• Paramount+: South Park special event (title & exact date TBA)
• CTV: The Original Santa Claus Parade (pretaped at Canada's Wonderland – Sat. Dec. 4)
• CTV Drama: new Christmas / holiday movies continue through Dec. 24
• Food Network Canada (available on Prime Video via StackTV): Baking It (spinoff of Making It with hosts Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg – premiere simulcast with NBC on Friday, December 3; Wednesdays thereafter)
• FXX: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (S15 – Wednesdays starting Dec. 1)
• W Network (available on Prime Video via StackTV): Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas event continues through Dec. 25; Days of our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas (streaming Thu. Dec. 16 on StackTV and potentially the Global app; linear broadcast Jan. 27)
• NBC / Citytv(?): Holiday episodes of Young Rock, Kenan and Mr. Mayor (Wed. Dec. 15; new seasons begin officially in January)
• Super Channel (available as a channel on Prime Video and Apple TV): Heart & Home Christmas event continues through Jan. 2
• Hollywood Suite (in free preview on TV providers Dec. 1–Jan. 5; also available as a channel on Prime Video): Gomorrah (seasons 1-3, on demand Wed. Dec. 1); A Year in Film (season 3 – editions on 1971, 1980, 1997 and 2005, Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET)

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Signficant revisions

• December 18, 2021 – clarified information about the documentary debuting on Crave on December 22
• December 14, 2021 – added Peter Rabbit 2 to Prime Video (we missed it on their December listings)
• December 12, 2021 – further update re A Very Salem Christmas based on a Corus press release
• December 6, 2021 – updated broadcast info for A Very Salem Christmas based on other media reports (thanks to reader Rion for pointing this out)
• December 2, 2021 – added some additional programs on Crave programming following posting of December linear schedule; updated some listings for BritBox based on new information provided by that service's reps; updated details for Baking It on Food Network Canada.
• December 1, 2021 – removed a section about Black Friday / Cyber Monday offers that have now all expired, to avoid confusion.
• November 30, 2021 – added listings for CBC Gem.